Mark Pougatch
Encyclopedia
Mark Pougatch is a freelance radio and television broadcaster
, a journalist
and author
who works mainly as a sports presenter
for the BBC
.
where he was captain of the First XI cricket team and graduated with a degree in politics at the University of Durham where he was a member of Hatfield College
. After completing a post-graduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism at the London College of Printing, he worked for six months at the former BBC radio station for London, BBC GLR
.
. In 1998, he joined BBC Radio 5 Live
, a national radio service and the principal station covering sport in the United Kingdom. He was selected to be the main presenter of 5 Live Sport
on Sundays. In August 2000, he switched to the Saturday edition of the show and, in August 2005, he switched to the Friday night slot.
In March 2010 Pougatch presented Late Kick Off
, a BBC One television football programme, for the London and South-East regions, in the absence of regular host Mark Chapman. In April 2010, Pougatch presented coverage of the IPL cricket
on ITV4
while regular host Matt Smith
was on Europa League duty.
He has presented Football Focus
and, since 2004, has sometimes deputised for Gary Lineker
on Match of the Day
. He has also presented or reported at major sporting events including the 2002
and 2006
World Cups
, The Ashes
, the Six Nations
, Wimbledon
, the Ryder Cup
, the Open Golf Championship, the Grand National
, the Sydney, Athens
and Beijing Olympics
and the 2011 U.S. Masters golf tournament.
Currently, Pougatch presents 5 Live Sport on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. He also regularly deputises for Nicky Campbell
on the Five Live Breakfast show.
, a game which was due to be released in 2009 as an innovative MMORPG
game integrating gameplay with footballer's lifestyles. He is the author of Three Lions Versus the World: England's World Cup Stories from the Men Who Were There. He is also a speaker, after dinner and at daytime events.
, and their three children. His grandfather and great-grandfather were among the diaspora who escaped Ukraine amid the violence that followed the first Russian Revolution.
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who works mainly as a sports presenter
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Early life
Born in London in 1968, Pougatch attended Malvern CollegeMalvern College
Malvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
where he was captain of the First XI cricket team and graduated with a degree in politics at the University of Durham where he was a member of Hatfield College
Hatfield College
Hatfield College is a college of the University of Durham in England. Founded in 1846 by the Rev. David Melville, it is the second oldest of Durham's colleges, and was originally called Bishop Hatfield's Hall...
. After completing a post-graduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism at the London College of Printing, he worked for six months at the former BBC radio station for London, BBC GLR
BBC London 94.9
BBC London 94.9 is London's BBC Local Radio station, and part of BBC London. Broadcasting across Greater London and beyond on 94.9 FM, DAB, Virgin Media Channel 930, Sky Channel 0152 and also online...
.
Broadcasting career
Pougatch became a regular football reporter on the radio in 1992 with BBC EssexBBC Essex
BBC Essex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Essex. It broadcasts from its studios on New London Road in Chelmsford on 103.5 and 95.3 FM, and on 729 , 765 , and 1530 AM. It is also available on DAB and live streaming via the internet.-History:BBC Essex launched on 5...
. In 1998, he joined BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, a national radio service and the principal station covering sport in the United Kingdom. He was selected to be the main presenter of 5 Live Sport
5 Live Sport
5 Live Sport is the flagship sports programme on BBC Radio Five Live and part of the BBC Sport division. It broadcasts daily, 7pm - 10.30pm Monday - Thursday, 7pm -10pm Friday, 12noon - 6pm Weekends...
on Sundays. In August 2000, he switched to the Saturday edition of the show and, in August 2005, he switched to the Friday night slot.
In March 2010 Pougatch presented Late Kick Off
Late Kick Off
Late Kick Off was a BBC One regional television football programme which was launched on 18 January 2010 and ran up to and including the 2010-2011 football season...
, a BBC One television football programme, for the London and South-East regions, in the absence of regular host Mark Chapman. In April 2010, Pougatch presented coverage of the IPL cricket
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
on ITV4
ITV4
ITV4 is a British television station which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action...
while regular host Matt Smith
Matt Smith (broadcaster)
Matt Smith is a British broadcaster, and currently one of ITV Sport's main presenters.-Early life:Matt is a Modern Languages and Political Studies graduate from Sheffield City Polytechnic, where he studied from 1985-89. During that time he spent a year in Italy as part of his studies...
was on Europa League duty.
He has presented Football Focus
Football Focus
Football Focus is a BBC television show, broadcast on BBC One on Saturday lunchtimes, covering football, presented from the 2009/2010 season by Dan Walker...
and, since 2004, has sometimes deputised for Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
on Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
. He has also presented or reported at major sporting events including the 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
and 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
, the Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
, the Open Golf Championship, the Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
, the Sydney, Athens
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and Beijing Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and the 2011 U.S. Masters golf tournament.
Currently, Pougatch presents 5 Live Sport on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. He also regularly deputises for Nicky Campbell
Nicky Campbell
Nicholas Andrew Argyll "Nicky" Campbell is a Scottish radio and television presenter and journalist. He is known for his time presenting on programmes such as the consumer affairs programme Watchdog...
on the Five Live Breakfast show.
Other activities
Pougatch joined the team of Football SuperstarsFootball Superstars
Football Superstars is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online football game Developed by Monumental Games and published by CyberSports.-Development:...
, a game which was due to be released in 2009 as an innovative MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
game integrating gameplay with footballer's lifestyles. He is the author of Three Lions Versus the World: England's World Cup Stories from the Men Who Were There. He is also a speaker, after dinner and at daytime events.
Personal life
Pougatch lives in Oxfordshire with Lady Victoria Scott, the younger daughter of the 5th Earl of EldonEarl of Eldon
Earl of Eldon, in the County Palatine of Durham, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1821 for the lawyer and politician John Scott, 1st Baron Scott, Lord Chancellor from 1801 to 1806 and from 1807 to 1827...
, and their three children. His grandfather and great-grandfather were among the diaspora who escaped Ukraine amid the violence that followed the first Russian Revolution.